Who was the author of the Records of the Historian? Which dynasty was it from?The author of the Records of the Historian was Sima Qian of the Han Dynasty (c. 100-c. 70 B.C.). He was a famous historian and writer of the Han Dynasty and one of the authors of the Records of the Historian. "Records of the Historian" was one of the most important historical works in ancient China. It was known as the classic work of ancient Chinese history books.
Is there a book that records the history of the Shang Dynasty earlier than the Records of the Historian?Yes, there were some books that recorded the history of the Shang Dynasty earlier than the Records of the Historian, including:
1. Xia Benji: This is an article in the Records of the Historian, but it is about the 17th century before the Records of the Historian. It described the establishment and early history of the Shang Dynasty.
Zuo Zhuan: This is an ancient history book that records the history of the Spring and Autumn Period. It was about the 6th century before the Records of the Historian. It also mentioned the history of the Shang Dynasty.
3. Book of History: This is one of the ancient Chinese documents that records the early history of the Shang Dynasty and the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty. It was around the 16th century before the Records of the Historian.
[4] The Book of Rites: This is one of the ancient Chinese documents that records the history of the Zhou and Shang dynasties. It was about the 11th century before the Records of the Historian. It also mentioned the history of the Shang Dynasty.
It should be noted that the reliability and authority of these books are controversial, so they only provide some historical clues and cannot be used as a conclusive historical record.